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Krug On Bruins' Slow Start: 'That's Why We Play 82 Games'

BOSTON (CBS) - After a heartbreaking loss in the second round of the 2014 playoffs to Montreal, the hometown Bruins are off to a disappointing 1-3 start on the young season in 2014.

The operative phrase there being "young season."

There's 78 games to go, and not one person expects this team to be in the Eastern Conference dumpster at the conclusion of the slate.

But 1-3 is 1-3 no matter how you slice it, and Bruins defenseman Torey Krug is not satisfied with his team's play either.

He joined 98.5 The Sports Hub's Gresh & Zolak show Tuesday afternoon for a chat.

"It's obviously a tough time and not the start we wanted to the season, but that's why we play 82 games. We're looking at this next grouping of games here and we're taking it one at a time. We're just worried about ourselves. We're not worried about other teams. We're focused on our game and how to fix that," said Krug.

The story on Krug this offseason was whether he'd even be a Bruin. He reportedly received a lucrative offer to play in Russia, and his status as a restricted free agent without a contract prohibited him from training camp.

One year contracts for both Krug and Reilly Smith were eventually signed, and Krug says it was never a doubt in his mind the deal would get done.

"Both sides really wanted me to be here, and at the end of the day we're happy with the deal we reached. I was just happy to be back with my teammates and back on the ice," said Krug. "It was something for me to learn at the beginning of my career; the business side of things. I'm glad I learned it sooner rather than later. It comes down to rights, and I had none. The Bruins had the leverage and I'm just glad we came to an agreement."

Krug admits "the timing wasn't there" when he first got to training camp, but believes those issues were fixed by the regular season opener. Krug is just one of a handful of Bruins defensemen dealing with the trade of Johnny Boychuk, and learning how to adjust in his absence.

"[Trades] happen in this business, and that's another lesson I got to learn this year. When you see a good friend get traded to another team it's tough to watch. [Boychuk] was such a big part of this room. No one wanted to see that. It's tough. But we have a defense core that can definitely step up and fill the void that he left. Tuukka is gonna do his job, and everyone from [Chara] down to me has to step up and do a little bit extra."

Listen below for the full conversation!

Hear every game of the 2014-15 Boston Bruins season on 98.5 The Sports Hub — the flagship station of the Boston Bruins. Pregame coverage with Dave Goucher and Bob Beers begins 30 minutes prior to every game!

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